


Vanilla Frosting

by max_well



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: A Complete Diversion, First Kiss, M/M, Panic Attacks, Pining, Romantic Tension, Trench Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 10:14:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16808626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/max_well/pseuds/max_well
Summary: They were glittering, the cookies. They were well crafted and smelt heavily of vanilla, how could Tyler reject them from a fan?OrTyler and Josh receive some sketchy ass cookies from a fan and suddenly Josh can’t keep his mouth shut.





	Vanilla Frosting

**Author's Note:**

> This had been sitting in my doc forever unfinished I figured I could finish it as a shitty birthday present

The show flew by without a hitch. Josh had been concerned the fans wouldn’t like the new content or would’ve left after the long hiatus. But, truth be told, the fans never left, and the show went off with a bang.

Josh had been in the dressing room, immediately stripping off his thick camo pants and shrugging his hat off when Tyler had been going and meeting fans. He was excited to see their cosplay and happy faces, and how enthusiastic they all had been to see him. 

A particular fan who had been acting rather quiet had offered him cookies, pushing the box out towards him along with a poster. “For me?” He questioned, signing the poster on autopilot and then gazing down into the batch of cookies.

“And for Josh,” the fan stuttered. They were glittering, the cookies. Calligraphy spelling out their names and actual _frosting_ art on them. Everything was glittering and gold and smelling of vanilla. They pushed the box into his hands before pulling a one eighty and weaving out of there immediately. Not having much time to think, he quickly handed the cookies off to a security guard to place off with the other gifts and continued down the line.

Josh had still been trying but failing to rid of the confetti off his back when Tyler joined him in his dressing room, a trash bag and a box under his arm.

“Jishwa!” He dropped the luggage on the couch before going over and pulling his best friend into his arms. “We did it! Josh they didn’t hate it! Josh-“ he pulled back excitedly. Josh chuckled as Tyler whirled around and grabbed a random box from the pile. “Look at these cookies a fan made us!”

“Woah, dude.” His eyes scanned over the heavily detailed and shimmering cookies.  _ Twenty one pilots  _ was spread thickly over the cookies, along with his and Tyler’s face. “These are actually really good.” He picked up the cookie with the singer’s face on it and told Tyler to snap a picture with it, which quickly turned into a montage of posing with the cookie and candid photos of him devouring it in half a bite.

“Consider it posted,” Tyler chuckled, grabbing a napkin and rubbing some frosting off the edge of Josh’s mouth. The drummer took the last bite of the cookie when the doorknob creaked and suddenly Mark’s head was in the room. “Guys, bus is heading out. You coming?” 

-

Josh really didn’t think twice when he was feeling woozy on the bus. He figured that it was motion sickness and him not being used to the bus after not being on it for a year.

But when he had forgo the celebratory dinner with Tyler and the crew (“You sure you don’t want to come man? I can order you something.” “No, I’m not feeling to good. See you when you get back?”) and was sending bile up his throat at 2 in the morning. Tyler had been there rubbing his back, expressing concern and suggesting maybe he take some pain medication to try and settle his stomach.

Then morning came and Josh’s head felt as if it was exploding. 

“Oh,  _ dude. _ ” Tyler quickly grabbed a water bottle and another bottle of pain meds. “I think you’re having a migraine. Just stay and rest alright? I think maybe you have food poisoning or something.” Tyler hesitated, hovering slightly before gently shuffling Josh’s short hair before closing the curtain again. 

Throughout the day, Josh tossed and turned in a fitful sleep, periodically finding more water bottles at the edge of his bunk and drinking them. It wasn’t until about five, when they were reaching a hotel, that Josh finally had the ability to sit up and not have a burning head rush.

“Maybe an actual bed will do you good,” Tyler chuckled, slinging an arm around his friends neck. He quickly told the receptionist who the were before they continued to the elevator. “I think you’d do me some good,” Josh said, surprising himself a little bit. “Maybe! We could totally chill and play Mario Kart.”

The elevator dinged and Tyler guided both himself and Josh inside. “Or we could kiss.” The older man slapped a hand over his mouth.  _ What the hell???? _

“What? Sorry bud, didn’t hear you.”

“We could, k- _ miss  _ out on that and ask for room service.” Josh stuttered. A night of nausea and throwing up, a whole day of migraine and pain. What the hell were in those cookies? “Whatever you want man, anything that could make you feel better.”

The elevator door slid open and Tyler quickly guided them to their room, a shared double with Mark and other crew members in other close by rooms. The younger man slid the key card and took a deep breath.

“Is it weird I like new hotel smell?” He pondered allowed, plopping down on the bright white sheets of one of the twin beds. He let his hands ripple across the top comforter.

“You’re truly remarkable.” Josh said out loud again. 

“Uh, thanks? I’ll call for that room service you asked for.”

Josh was panicking. “You looked beautiful during the show!” He rushed into the bathroom, almost slipping as he quickly pulled out his phone and called Jordan. The phone rung a few times before he picked up. “ _ Hey man, what’s up? How’d your show go?”  _

“Uhm,” Josh gripped the counter, trying to center his breathing. “T-that went f-fine. I’m just worried. This fan made some cookies and gave them to Tyler and I, and now I can’t stop telling him I like him!”

“ _ Wait, what? _ ” Jordan had not been one of the people Josh kept his secrets from, especially about his romantic feelings towards Tyler. Naturally, he knew everything.

Josh paced between the small porcelain of the toilet and the door. “He’ll ask me normal questions and then I’ll respond with something romantic. He was talking about Mario Kart and I literally said I’d rather kiss him instead! I told him he was remarkable and that he looked beautiful during today’s show! I don’t know what’s going on.”

“ _ Shit, how’d he respond to that?” _

“He didn’t hear me the first time, but I think he’s just getting more and more weirded out. “ Josh bit at his nails. They never got treated properly because of his anxiety, and because of that they quickly started bleeding.

_ “Dude, I don’t know what’s going on. Sounds like some sci-fi type stuff.”  _

_ “ _ But sci-fi isn’t real though.”

“ _ I don’t really have any other explanation. Maybe some weird food or something that makes you process things differently.” _

_ “ _ Maybe, I don’t really know. I just don’t know what to do.”

“ _ You’ll think of something, you always do.” _

“Thanks. I’ll give you updates.”

“ _ No problem! Good luck getting your man!” _

_ “ _ Ha, thanks. Later, Jordan.” Josh hung up the phone and looked at the bathroom door, intimidated. He could hear Tyler’s voice still ordering something from room service. Josh swallowed, before taking a deep breath and exiting the bathroom.

“Yeah, thanks! Just have that up soon, please. My friend and I have been in a bus all day and would enjoy dinner soon,” Tyler turned and caught Josh’s eye, and smiled. “Uh huh,” he turned again, and Josh hurried over to his bag to change, realizing he hadn’t since yesterday (and it was hard to talk to someone when your face was buried in a shirt).

“Yeah, bye.’’ Tyler put the phone on the reciever, and grabbed his own phone out of his pocket. “I just asked them to whip together some chinese for us. Is that alright?” he asked absentmindedly, chuckling as he scrolled through twitter, no doubtedly on his fan account. “I could never say no to you,” Josh had pulled a new shirt on, head coming through a second to late. Tyler raised his eyes at that and Josh turned away again, embarassed.

“Are you feeling alright? You’re acting a bit, uh,” Josh could feel as Tyler’s eyes raked over the back of his head, his ears quickly flushing. “You’re acting a bit strange, man.” Josh was starting to regret cutting off all of his hair. In this situation, his yellow locks would have been perfect to pull on anxiously. What was once there was now only a dark shave.

“I-” he cut himself off, feeling another compliment struggling to make it up his throat. “I-it w-w-w-was those cookies. I-I’m not f-f-feeling-g-” Josh never felt more cornered, especially as Tyler pocketed his phone and walked closer to him. His breath quickly picked up. “Josh,’’ Tyler started, rubbing his hands up and down Josh’s arms soothingly. “It’s okay, you can breathe dude. I’m not going to hate you for any reason, right? We’ve talked about this before, I got your fricken name on my leg.” He chuckled inwardly at that.

“And that’s very important to me!” Josh blurted out. In a panic, he bit his tongue. 

“In and out for me, dude. In,” Tyler breathed in, waiting for josh to follow him. “And out,” his breath smelt heavily of the mint gum he was chewing, and all josh could think of was going and licking along Tyler’s bottom lip.

“God I can’t do this I’m so sorry Tyler,” ah, at least that was something true. Fingers quickly back in his mouth, Josh turned back around in shame. Tyler went to speak, to express obvious concern, but it was just then a knock rang on the door, signaling room service had arrived. “Here, I’m going to go grab that, and then we can talk, alright?”

Josh stared as Tyler went to answer the door. He tried thinking quickly, needing a way out.  _ The beds, _ he quickly ducked and shoved himself under one of the beds, feeling squished and cramped, but he didn’t have any other options.

“Thanks, man.” Tyler said as he shut the door. A platter clinked against the table as the singer art it down. “Josh?” He put a hand over his mouth to quiet his panicked breathes. “Josh?” Tyler repeated, this time knocking against the bathroom door. “Josh, please come out, I’m really worried.”

The drummer let out a big puff as he heard Tyler open the bathroom door and shuffle inside, pull back the curtain and sigh quietly at Josh not being there. 

“I know you’re in here, I was literally blocking the door dude,” next the closet door opened, and Josh almost screamed. The tiny whine he emitted finally exposed his location to Tyler, who went and stood next to the bed. “Josh,” he said, sounding disappointed but also not. Actually, josh couldn’t decipher which emotion Tyler was feeling, even as he sat on the floor and raised the bed flap.

His face melted at the tears and snot covering Josh’s face, and the desperate hand over his mouth. “Can you come out? I wanna hug you,” Tyler made grabby hands, trying to seem funny and collected. “Please?”

Josh sighed shakily before crawling out from under the bed. To someone who had not been present for the situation, the image of him shuffling out from under the bed would be certainly comical. Josh sniffled, before Tyler made grabby hands again. “C’mere, dude.”

It did not take ten seconds for josh to throw himself on Tyler, who made an “Oof” sound as his legs got bracketed by Josh’s thighs, as his jacket got held tight and as his back hit the side of the other bed.

Tyler shushed Josh soothingly, hands quickly wrapping around the older drummer. “What’s the matter?” Tyler quietly pried, rubbing his back as a way of telling him to take his time.

Josh tried to hold back, he really did, but the second he said, his urge to say all the sweet things he’s been hiding since day one drained from him. “Tyler, I think I’m in love with you.”

He tensed, hiding his face in Tyler’s neck before he felt the younger man chuckle. He pulled back suddenly confused. “Why’re you laughing?”

“I swear I’m not, J.” Tyler’s hands came to rest on Josh’s arms, comfortable. The drummers expression did not change. “I just, I know, man. I mean, at least I thought I knew.”

Josh grew offended, and started standing up. “Well, if you’re going to be so  _ amused  _ by it-“ Tyler stopped him, grabbed his arms, and settled him back down on his lap. 

“I’m not amused by it, not at all. I thought I knew, but I wasn’t sure. The only reason I wasn’t sure was because I was afraid.” Tyler confessed, his arms traveled up, up, up, and landed on Josh’s cheeks, rubbing away tears with his thumb. “I was scared because I’ve been in love with you since I saw your face at in the crowd of one of my earlier concerts.” Josh’s eyebrows flew up his forehead in surprise. “You had stars in your eyes, J. I knew in that moment had to get to know you, I couldn’t let you get away.”

“I didn’t mean for you to find out,” Josh said, figuring he only heard what he wanted to because of the subsiding panic. “It was that cookie. I felt horrible all day and then I could only tell you romantic things, or the truth. I, those were supposed to stay secret, Tyler.” For the first time tonight, he said the truth without anything else pushing him, only himself. 

Tyler chuckled again. “Joshua. My Josh, Jishwa. I’m wholeheartedly in love with you.” He resumed laughing as the drummer actually processed what was being said. “Wait, really?”

“Since the first shows, since the beginning, J.”

“Tyler, can I kiss you?” Josh’s hands resided in the front folds of Tyler’s sweatshirt, while the singers hands traveled to the nape of the drummers neck. “Of course.”

Upon hearing about this, one might of thought after several years of pining and and hidden emotions, the shared kiss would’ve been rough, or frenzied. No, this was Tyler and Josh, this was best friends. As Josh ran his tongue across Tyler’s bottom lip (something he’d been dreaming about all night), it was nothing but passionate and soft. It reminded him of summer days, and cramped vans and tiny crowds grown large. It reminded him what it felt to be happy.

Tyler quickly reciprocated, fingers falling short at Josh’s lack of hair, before gripping his shirt instead. He angled his legs slightly, so Josh would be sandwiched closer to him. It was a perfect fit, anyone could say so.

Josh was he first to pull away, suddenly embarrassed, and whines as he hid his face in Tyler’s neck.

“I can say one thing, Josh,” the singer started, content. “What? Josh asked, voice muffled by the soft fabric of Tyler’s hoody.

“I’m really glad that fan gave me those cookies.” Then Josh was laughing, sitting up and shoving Tyler gently. “Shut  _ up!” _

**Author's Note:**

> You deserve an award if you got through that tbh


End file.
